The War
by RAINBOWxDASH
Summary: A epic story told during the most brutal war in history. Two young privates struggle in Germany near the end of World War 2, challenged by death, love and sacrifice. KatsuyaxRyuuji
1. The Trenches

**I really don't know why I decided to write this story...I like stories written in the past and World War 2 seemed like a good subject. So, um, yeah...ENJOY! -Shelby-**

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or any other names mentioned in this story.

BOOM!

The German stick grenade detonated ten feet from the American trenches. The privates on the night shift shivered voluntarily. This place was a god-forsaken hellhole. A young blond private bravely peeked over the trench, down No-man's Land and across to the opposing German trenches. The teen huffed his disgust to nobody in particular. The all felt the same way: this war needed to end. Katsuya Jounouchi sat on a small wooden box and hung his lantern on a bone protruding from the trench wall, no doubt the bone belonged to a fallen comrade early on in the war. He pulled out a small notebook that served as his diary and pulled out a pencil. Simultaneously, he lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply. Ah, he needed that.

_August 31, 1945  
On the Western Front  
The bloody Geries have been bombarding us with grenades and missiles all day. I got lucky, I didn't have to work the day shift and avoided going on a small raid in which two of my close friends, Private Bakura and Private Honda, were killed. May God rest them.  
Lieutenant Colonel Kaiba said he has a good feeling that this cursed war will be over soon. I don't know if I feel the same. I feel there will be many more deaths on the horizon before this will end, perhaps my own among them.  
On a much lighter note, however, I now get to train with Sergeant Mutuo. He is not much older than I, 16; but he has been promoted quickly because of his military genius and bravery.  
I noticed him, Private Ryuuji, watching me again. He keeps to himself mostly, but he becomes very involved when we do exercises, raids etcetera. I've begun to feel a certain fondness for him; I've been in this war for three years now (and lucky to be alive after D-Day) and I'm lonely. Everybody is lonely. Just the other day I saw two younger soldiers, Sergeant Mutuo and Private Atem, touching each other unashamedly. I, too, began to feel that I need a sort of solace from this hell; but where can I seek it?_

"Are you going to report that to Lt. Colonel Kaiba?" A familiar voice stopped Jou from writing and made him turn to look at Ryuuji Otogi, who was reading his messy script.

"If you don't mind, Otogi, I would like to write down my thoughts in peace; Heaven knows how long before I'm unable to do so," he replied. He was greeted by pained looks. Nobody needed to be reminded, Death swept his hand frequently over the battlefield. That day, other than Bakura and Honda, twelve other men were killed including Private Ryou, Sergeant Marik, Private Malik and General Pegasus.

"I just thought he'd want to know," Otogi mumbled quietly. He, too, had seen some of the men in his unit seek each other. He was lonely too, more lonely than the rest; for he was in love with a man in uniform...a man who was glaring at him under torchlight.

"If they want to spoil themselves like that I'm not the one to stop them. I don't blame them," Jou trailed off, his eyes hidden by the long blond bangs that escaped his helmet. Otogi adverted his gaze down the the page and stopped when he saw his name. Was Jounouchi talking about him? He wondered why until Jounouchi cleared his throat and closed the book.

"I'm going on patrol," he mumbled quietly, placing the book and pancil back into his pack and picked up his rifle. "Feel free to join me if you want Otogi. If not, watch out for the rats." Otogi's mouth twitched slightly, it was true the trenches were overrun by large rats. He stood up with his gun and followed his comrade through the wet, dirty, unforgiving trenches.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Otogi asked a few minutes later. Jou nodded silently and kept walking. "Why did I see my name in your diary?"

Jou stopped, stopped walking, stopped breathing. How much had Otogi seen? Otogi turned and faced Jou, waiting.

"I was merely mentioning manes, not like anything's going on," Jou avoided Ryuuji's eyes at all costs...those large, gorgeous bottle-green eyes...

"Oh, I understand. It just said you were lonely and I saw my name. Do you need a friend?" Otogi's question was innocent enough, his two friends killed in a raid, he was lonely as hell; why not ask for a friend? Although Otogi had some possible alternatives to this friendship brewing in his mind Jou never suspected a thing, he was too lost in his own thoughts.

"Yes, I would like a friend. Do you know of anyone who needs one?" Jou's laughter was such a rare sound that Jounouchi himself stopped and marvelled at it. When was the last time he'd laughed like that?

Otogi shivered deliciously at the sound. He grabbed Jou's arm and pushed him roughly against the rocky trench wall. "I was talking about me, Katsuya. I want to be your friend." He lifted his hand up to remove Jou's helmet when an officer walked by. Jou and Otogi saluted Lt. Colonel Kaiba stiffly and promptly.

"At ease, gentlemen. Lovely night for a walk, hm?" Kaiba chuckled darkly at the twisted joke. The young privates laughed weakly. "You behave yourselves, privates. This is a time of war, not a time to violate ourselves in the rat-infested trenches." Lt. Colonel Kaiba turned on his heel and headed to check the pill boxes (Pill boxes where small concrete structures that had a small window in them that a machine-gun could peek through, usually operated by two soldiers. They were built close to the ground and were difficult to destroy, some still exist today).

"Where was I...oh, yes," Otogi murmured. He let himself remove Jou's helmet and threaded his drty finders through Jou's even dirtier hair. Otogi didn't care, Jou was the only real thing in the world now; there was no war, no death...just Jou and his dirty gold hair. He looked into Jou's large chocolate eyes, wide with fear and anticipation. Jou had never felt more alive during the war until now, feeling Otogi's hands caress his face, his eyes watching him witha hungry desire burning deep within. Jou lightly tugged on Otogi's earring and twirled the die in his fingers. He removed Otogi's helmet as well and caressed the dark lockes of hair with grimy fingers.

Otogi began to lean closer to Jou, his face getting nearer by the second. he was but and inch from Jou when a sharp whistle pierced the deathly silence.

"Dawn..." Otogi murmured. The two teens hadn't noticed the sun risting through the clouds and hastened bak to their work stations. The march had begun.

Yeah, I don't really know where this story is going but it's gonna be dramatic! Please R&R!


	2. The Night Shift

**It took me a little while to write the second part of this story but I finally came out with some ideas so I hope you enjoy this. –Shelby-**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"Alright, you lot! Listen up because I will not repeat myself twice," young Sergeant Mokuba Kaiba yelled.

_The only reason he gets promoted is because he's the Lt. Colonel's precious little brother. What I wouldn't give to test that bugger's bravery,_ thought the unruly Ryuuji.

"What was that you said, sir?" A soldier spoke up above the din and was rewarded wit amused snickers and the outraged purple face of the officer.

"You dare try that stunt with me, Private?! Get up here now!" The foolish soldier obeyed the order and saluted his superior shakily. "Yes, you cower in fear now but not in the company of your fellow soldiers? What kind of man are you?" The officer made a hand signal and summoned two armed men the unit did not recognize.

"What is you name, Private?" young Mokuba asked slowly as the two men stood on either side of him.

"P-P-Private Kawashima Shin, sir!" he stuttered.

"Ah, yes, Private Kawashima…you will serve two months latrine duty with your own toothbrush for you negligence to obey orders. Take him." He nodded to the men and they dragged the soldier away until his screams of protest were lost amongst the gunfire.

Jou looked at Mokuba in shock. He had known the Kaibas long before the war but this Mokuba was not the one he had known three years before. War had not changed Seto significantly but the fun-loving, innocent Mokuba Jou knew was lost to a cold-hearted stranger that was even more of a vicious bastard than his brother. It was true what the soldiers said: the war changes things, it brings out the best and worst in people; and they were witnessing the worst of the Kaibas.

* * *

_I hate this goddamn night shift,_ thought Jou. He was pacing back and forth, needlessly checking his rifle every few minutes and lighting up smoke after smoke. He was way too stressed out: the Allied forces now had Hitler and his Nazis holed up in Berlin and the Russians were crazy for Hitler's blood. Since Jou was on the night shift, and couldn't do a thing, he paced and smoked to try and ease his worries.

"You're going to die from stress if you keep huffing like that," Otogi approached Jo from the darkness and removed the cigarette from Jou's lips. The resulting action had Otogi flat against the wall with Jou pinning him down with vise-like strength.

"We are so close to ending this war, Otogi. We are no more than five miles from the bastard who started this whole thing and it's driving me mad that I can't find Hitler and kill him myself. I need to relax, smokes make me loose. Don't ever take one away from me again," Jou whispered roughly into Otogi's ear, his smoky breath ruffling the hair that fell from his helmet. Otogi hatched an idea and relaxed his muscles.

"How loose are you right now? What would help you relax?" Jou's grip relaxed and he held Otogi's face near his own.

"I don't think there is anything you can do to make me relax," he whispered. Otogi smirked slightly, his green eyes flashed with desire.

"Oh, can't I?" he muttered before he reached and pulled Jou's face towards his own. The action caught Jou off-guard and his training kicked in. He wrenched Otogi's arm behind his back and pulled until Otogi's muffled screams brought him back from his frenzy. He let Otogi go and ran into the darkness not caring where he was going. He lost his footing and fell face first into the muck. He lied there for a while, letting the darkness calm his tumultuous mind. A soft orange glow appeared and he opened his eyes. The sat Ryuuji with his rifle, Jou's dropped rifle, his lantern and Jou's pack of smokes; concern and relief flashed over his face in quick succession.

"Oh, my puppy, are you alright?" Jou had earned the nickname "Puppy" from the pathetic pouty face he pulled when he lost at cards. Jou pushed himself up and accepted the lit cigarette Otogi offered him.

"Yeah, I'll be just fine. What about you? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Jou inhaled quickly and blew smoke rings nonchalantly. Otogi sniffed and shook himself.

"No, I'm okay; I've been hurt worse than that back on the streets," he removed his helmet and played with his earring. He pulled it from his earlobe and held it out to Jou.

"What?" Jou was confused.

"I want you to have it. I wouldn't give my most prized possession to just anybody. In case I die before this war is over I want you to have something to remember me by." He dropped the die and Jou snatched it mid-air.

"What do you want in return?" Jou twirled the earring in his palm and looked at Otogi.

"I don't want anything." He looked down at his hands and wrung them nervously. Jou scooted beside him and stamped out the butt of the cigarette. He reached and held Otogi's hand firmly, stroking it with sensitive fingertips.

"A-actually…there is something that I want in return," Otogi mumbled. His eyes brimmed with hot tears leaving dark streaks on his dirty face.

Jou wiped away the tears. "And what would that be, hm?" He tilted Otogi's chin upward and pulled his faced gently towards his own.

Otogi threw off Jou's helmet and roped his hands through his hair as he leaned into the kiss with passion. Jou traced the planes and hollows of his face, lingering near Otogi's busy lips and down his uniform. Otogi reached and kneaded Jou's shoulder with one hand while the other remained nested in his hair. Jou reached under Otogi's shirt and felt the warm skin underneath, letting his hand float lower and lower.

"Whoa, not yet, soldier. Perhaps we can do that after the war is over," Otogi broke the kiss blushing like his face was plastered in red paint. Jou's face suddenly became very serious. The warm glow of after-love faded as soon as it had come.

"I'm sorry." Otogi whispered. He stood up, picked up his rifle, slung it over his shoulder and left into the darkness.

**So that's the end of the second part. I'm already developing Part 3 so that will be published soon, too. Please R&R and no flames!**


	3. The Parisian Farmhouse

**So this is the final part of this story. I hope that everyone enjoys this last edition because I don't think that I'll continue this story unless I'm fed some good ideas. Anyway, read and enjoy this last part of "The War". -Shelby-**

_September 14, 1945  
__Paris, France  
__Great news! Hitler is dead! The war is over! The American troops on The Western Front were pulled out yesterday morning and brought her to the American-controlled Paris. Lt. Colonel Kaiba has set up a series of large farmhouses just outside Paris for us to live in. I share this house with five other men, two Frenchmen, one Canadian, and one other American.  
__I haven't spoken to Otogi since that intimate moment one week ago. He's quieter than ever now, every time I approach him he runs away or ignores me. I know now that I can no longer deny the attraction I feel for him. I will freely admit that I am in love with Ryuuji Otogi. Although I may still be a boy physically I have never felt more of a man. I am a man, a man in love. I'm going to tell him; after all we are in Paris: The City of Love. Wish me luck…_

Jou stuffed the diary back into the drawer on the bedside table and turned off the lamp. Jou picked up his jacket and headed outside. The bright afternoon sky was now surrendering to the smoky gray of twilight. He walked across the hard ground until he reached the barn where he kept his motorcycle. He grabbed the handlebars and pushed the bike onto the dirt road. He kick-started it, opened the clutch, and roared off in the direction of Otogi's farmhouse.

Otogi sat on the wooden rocking chair facing the bright lights of Paris. He sighed and heaved himself out of the chair, stopping when he heard the rumble of an engine. His eyes widened when Jou rode up to the house on his bike; hair windblown and cheeks rosy. What was he doing here?

"Please don't run away from me, Otogi," he said quickly. Otogi stood still on the porch as Jounouchi dismounted and jumped up the steps to stand in front of him. Through Jou's open collar Otogi could see his earring dangling on a small chain around Jou's neck. He parted the material and touched it with tentative fingertips.

"You…you still have it?" Otogi mumbled. Jou nodded and wrapped his arms slowly around Jou's limber frame. Otogi shrugged out of the embrace evasively and opened the door, gesturing for Jou to enter first. Jou complied and stepped across the threshold into the modest house. Otogi sauntered into the small sitting room and sat heavily on an old armchair. Jou stood and waited. His patience was rewarded when Otogi stood and finally spoke after a few minutes.

"What do you want with me, Katsuya? Why are you here? Ever since you rejected me like that in the trenches it hurts to see you! Is that why you're here, to poke fun at my sexuality?! Well, go ahead, nothing you say will change the way I feel! You may reject me and report me but know this, Katsuya Jounouchi…I love you! I love you, goddammit!" Otogi slumped into the chair with a defeated cry, breaking down in sobs before he had sat down.

Jou was still for a moment and then mentally shook himself. He crossed over the room and kneeled in from of Otogi's shaking frame. He gently laid a hand on his head and was relieved when Ryuuji didn't shrink away: it felt as if he was leaning into his touch.

"Otogi, I'm not here to persecute you," Jounouchi began. "I came here because I now acknowledge something that I should've known so long ago. The confession just gave me fills me with much joy! I must admit this to you because…I love you, too. I love you, Ryuuji Otogi, from the moment we entered service I've felt something stirring inside me; a deep attraction to you. I was so afraid to tell you this, I feared you would reject me, die in battle and leave me widowed. But now they pulled us out from any chance of that, I feel that you need to know the severity of my affections. Otogi, I want to be yours forever…I want you to mine forever. Please…" Jou ended his lengthy speech. Otogi slowly lifted his head, his makeup smeared from tears. He attempted to wipe away the smudges but only worsened the mess.

"What did you say?" Otogi whispered.

"I love you," Jou blushed sheepishly. He reached and lightly pecked Otogi, wrapping him in a warm hug. The serenity of the moment was broken by the incoming static on the transistor radio. Otogi rushed over and put on the headphones.

"Home Base, this is Charlie Horse 229er. What's the news?" Otogi tapped in Morse code.

"Charlie Horse, this is Home Base. We have ordered all American troops to vacate your area immediately. All troops are to deport back to America for a parade in Washington D.C. Over and out," the operator tapped back.

"Over and out," Otogi replied. He removed the headphones and turned to Jou's waiting glance. "That was Home Base. We're going home."

"What?" Jou was shocked.

"Home Base is ordering all troops to fall back to the M.C (Mother Country) for a parade in Washington D.C. The war is over! THE WAR IS OVER!" Otogi jumped into Jou's waiting arms and kissed him fervently.

"When we go home I want you to marry me," Jou muttered against Otogi's neck.

"My answer will be 'Yes'," Otogi mumbled back. Jou hugged him tighter and gently swayed on the spot.

Yes, he thought. We're going home.

**30 YEARS LATER: 1975**

"Daddy, can you tell us how you met?" Otogi turned and greeted the blond girl named Mai. Their other children, Anzu and Mokuba (named after the family friend Kaiba Mokuba) screamed with delight.

"Now, now…you shouldn't pester your father like that. That story brings up very bad memories for us," Jou entered the room and tousled Mokuba's curls.

"But, Mommy!" they all whined. Jou and Otogi came to the ultimate decision that Otogi would be the breadwinner and Jou would stay at home with their adoptive children.

"No, Honey, I think it's about time the kids learned about the War." Otogi picked up Mai and placed her on his lap, Anzu and Mokuba at his feet.

Otogi cleared his throat. "Thirty years ago, there was a great war. Mommy and I were in it. We met back in the trenches in the beginning of the year 1942…"

**So that's it! Yeah, it's not a relatively long story but I rather like it. Please R&R, thank you!**


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